Trans Am Muscle Takes on Winton

I made a mistake at the last Speed Series round at Phillip Island, by not focusing on the Trans-Am series.  On track rivalries, first time winners, fierce battles and a photo finish, Phillip Island gave a perfect example as to why this series is one of the most entertaining in Australia. Although Winton wasn’t as thrilling as their trip to the Island, there were still plenty of talking points and on track action.

Tyler Everingham would depart from Dream Racing Australia to return to drive for The Racing Academy'' Mustangs alongside Elliot Cleary and Cody Gillis, as Jackson Rice would take over the vacant seat left by Everingham.  Brett Holdsworth would also be looking to rise up the championship leaderboard with consistent results after returning to fighting shape after a bike accident in between rounds.  His Ash Seward Motorsport, Breeze sponsored Camaro is my favourite looking Trans Am on the grid.

Ben Grice, who was apart of a massive crash at Symmons Plains this year, would lead the field in Practice 1, with a lap time of 1:24.857, followed by James Moffat, who was three tenths behind.  

Championship contenders Owen Kelly and Josh Webster would both have off track excursions, with Webster's bringing out the red flag in Practice 1.  The session would finish when Tyler Everingham spin at the entry to Turn 7, needing the tilt tray.

​James Moffat would go one better to set the fastest time in Practice 2, with a 1:24.650, only a tenth faster  than the two of Brett Holdsworth and Lochie Dalton.

Qualifying up the front would be important for all categories, as it is difficult to overtake at Winton and thus, advance your position from the back.

Lochie Dalton would surprise everyone by taking pole position, setting the fastest lap of the weekend – a 1:22.863 - almost four tenths ahead of Cody Gillis, who will line up alongside him in Race 1.

The 18 Trans Am cars would all be bunched into Turn 1 for the first race, as Elliot Cleary would head off into the mud all on his own.  Also on the first lap, Elliot Barbour would run into the back of Brett Holdsworth at Turn 7, with Barbour's bonnet flipping open a few corners later.  

Barbour would have to pit to get the bonnet taped shut, but on lap three, the bonnet would come flying off, before he came back into the pits to serve a drive through penalty for the incident.

​Chris Pappis would somehow find himself off at the exit of Turn 9, skating through the saturated grass, but was able to rejoin thanks to the service road. 

Lochie Dalton would turn his pole position into his first race victory in the Trans Am series, with Cody Gillis second and Ben Grice in third.

Race 2 would be much cleaner, with no incidents, just good hard hustles for positions.  A train would form behind Brett Holdsworth in a battle for eighth, but Holdsworth would prevail as Lochie Dalton would cross the line to grab his second win in a row.  Cody Gillis would reclaim second with James Moffat snatching a podium finish from Ben Grice.

Race 3 would be the big one, a 40-minute, 25 lap race.  It would be a clean first lap, but Nash Morris would run into Owen Kelly (who had both been fighting for the race win at Phillip Island) at the final corner, leaving Morris to have to come through the pits.

Both their recoveries would be helped by the safety car, after Elliot Barbour lost the rear at Turn 6, getting stuck in the gravel and bringing out the yellow flag. 

James Moffat would grab second on the restart from Cody Gillis, as Tyler Everingham would run into Brett Holdsworth, also at the final corner.  After fourteen laps, the bruised car of Edan Thornborough would quit with mechanical gremlins.

As the boxing matches happened behind, Lochie Dalton would pull away again, grabbing win number three, clean sweeping the weekend, with pole position and leading every lap in dominant fashion.

Heading to Round 4 at Queensland Raceway, James Moffat leads the championship, however, Lochie Dalton's dominant weekend has helped thrust him to second, only trailing Moffat by nine points. The battle for third in the championship, despite being sixty points shy, can also turn in anyone's favour with Tony Hayman, Josh Webster and Owen Kelly having six points between them.  And if this year's Trans Am racing is anything to go by, the standings won't stay like that.

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